What is the general consensus on the situation developing at Rutgers?
http://espn.go.com/mens-colleg...-rice-job-wake-video
My take? Coach will be fired. AD will be fired. Or at least should be. Coach has been physically assaulting kids and the AD knew about. Brutal.
Rich
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Trying to catch up on this. By physically assaulting the kids do you mean throwing the bball at them? Or is there more? (Yes, I agree thats physical...just wondered if more).
He will be gone. AD prolly should be too.
I did see a 'tweet' yesterday from a writer(?) that said coaches all over America are burning practice tapes now. Ugh.
Kicking, pushing & grabbing players is out of line. Watch the video. You'll see things that are crazy. And if other coaches are doing the same then they should be canned too.
There are right ways to lead. If you need to kick, punch, push & throw balls at players then they are not leaders.
I played for a "tough" coach. He would never had laid a hand on a kid.
Rich
PIS, i totally agree. Glad the coach is gone. I hope the AD gets the gate. They are paid with tax money... end of story. Fire 'em and show the tapes at coaching clinics, then show them working at Lowes mixing paint.... that ought to get the message across.
The guy is an idiot. The AD is driving the bus of idiots. I just wonder why none of the young men didn't haul off and smack the guy back. Basketball players a big dudes these days.
That being said, my fear is that some video will mistake moving a player into position for "assault." I have moved players into position with a light push on the shoulder or grabing the wrist and saying "you're going here."
Obvious differences between moving a guy into position and kicking a kid.
I'm no psychologist, but I'm pretty sure that the reason the kids didn't haul off and hit them is the same reason a 5 year old doesn't tell their teach that daddy is hurting them.... power.
A true leader doesn't need to resort to those tactics. A bully does. But the kids were still scared of him because he held all the power. He could bench a kid or pull a scholarship.
And I'll go ahead and call out any "old timers" that think this is ok. If you coached like this or condone it then you obviously were not a leader. You just had the power. Not respect.
Rich
I agree with Eric Murdock's sentiment in the video...I don't understand why someone thinks that this behavior is necessary.
What I wonder is how long this has been going on, and where Rice got this motivation from. He'd been a very good assistant coach at some very good programs for a very long time.
I played for a "tough" coach. He would never had laid a hand on a kid.
Me too, and so does my son. Same is true; the physicality seems to be the place where this stuff crosses the line. This coach's demeanor was roundly considered over-the-top emotional in-game as well.
Count me among those who LOVE really tough coaching but think this is just flat-out wrong. And his oh-so-contrite apology says a lot, too. He should've just said "This is how you build winning teams" if he believes it ... not held back tears and said he was sorry. I hate to see knowledgeable coaches go, but there are limits.
The only times a coach should touch a player should be when addressing technique type things, positioning, and when putting their arm around a player who needs some reassurance. This guy is just a bully who gets his jollies by lording over players that he knows won't fight back.
"Baby Rice"... Rice's assistant has resigned. The video makes me ill.
http://espn.go.com/espn/otl/st...-using-slurs-resigns
If the AD still has a job Monday I'll be shocked.
Rich
Given the amount of video evidence, this appeared to be going on every day in practice. To me, this demonstrates that Rutgers had very ineffective avenues for athletes to express complaints/concerns. Granted, the AD and athletic administration may not act on those concerns, but there should at least be avenues where they can be aired.
Parents of college athletes should be aware that they have (or should have) options for airing these types of concerns:
1. Student-Athlete Advisory Councils, which usually meet monthly.
2. Exit interviews that schools should be conducting with athletes who graduate and/or complete their eligibility, or transfer out to another school (after they complete the transfer process so there can be no repercussions).
3. Each NCAA and NAIA campus has a Faculty Athletic Representative (outside the athletic department) who should have the well-being of student-athletes at the forefront of their responsibilities for that role.
